Delhi HC seeks ECI reply on plea for common symbol for Bihar polls

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on a plea by Akhil Bharatiya Jan Sangh to use a common election symbol for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.

Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice to the ECI on the party's petition and granted it time to file its reply.

The court posted the hearing for August 19.

The party said it was established in 1951 and renamed in 1979 and has been contesting elections throughout its existence besides applying from time to time for the election symbol from the ECI in line with the relevant laws.

The petitioner, represented by advocates Pranay Ranjan and Mrigank Prabhakar, said it participated in the 2024 assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh for which the common election symbol ''sitar'' was allotted to it.

The plea said the petitioner with the intention to contest in the upcoming Bihar polls approached the ECI through a letter dated June 2 for getting allotted a common election symbol under the banner of ABJS. ''However, no response was forthcoming from the ECI. Subsequently, a reminder letter was sent on July 4, 2025, which again has gone unanswered,'' the plea said.

The plea sought to direct the commission to its letters of June 2 and July 4 for allotment of an election symbol and to allot a common election symbol within a time bound manner.

It said the petitioner has a constitutional guarantee and a statutory right to contest elections subject to statutory safeguards and the non-allotment of an election symbol will take away its opportunity to contest elections.

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